Prizmic displayed his potential early on, stunning the top seed with a sensational crosscourt shot in the second set.
Serbian tennis legend Novak Djokovic faced a formidable challenge from the talented teenager Dino Prizmic as he began his title defense at the Australian Open. After a grueling battle lasting over four hours, Djokovic emerged victorious with a hard-fought 6-2, 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-4 win in the opening round on Sunday.
Prizmic displayed his potential early on, stunning the top seed with a sensational crosscourt shot in the second set. This forced the 36-year-old Djokovic to elevate his game and secure a break of his own. Despite the setback, the 18-year-old Prizmic maintained his level of play and made a strong comeback after a brief medical break.
The match concluded in an extraordinary manner, with both players displaying great sportsmanship and respect for each other's abilities.
The teenage prodigy skillfully forced the defending champion into a staggering 20 unforced errors, while impressively maintaining his position in the contest with some stunning forehand shots. With an impressive winning streak of 6 years and 28 matches in the Australian Open, Djokovic dominated the next 4 games to secure the set. Towards the end, Prizmic's energy waned, allowing Djokovic to capitalize on the advantage and claim his 90th victory at the Australian Open.
After the match, Djokovic showered his opponent with praise, acknowledging his impressive performance despite his lack of experience. Djokovic firmly believed that his opponent had a genuine chance of winning the game as well.
"He deserved all the applause and all the credit he got tonight, he's an amazing player, so mature ... he really gave me a run for my money. It was an amazing performance for a teenager who never had the experience of playing on such a big stage. I started well for a 36-year-old, jeez, if you think about it I'm double his age. I had some good moments (but) physically I'm still finding myself on the court. This is his moment, it could have been his match as well."
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 "Australia Open 2024: Novak Djokovic advances to second round after hard-fought battle against Dino Prizmic")
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